[???]

“With this final tribute, we now have enough magnetite to present to the Master. Doubtless, he will be most pleased with our endeavors thus far.”

“Perhaps. But I am not pleased with the quality. Had we more time, we could have doubtless extracted a more refined product. And the subjects our minions have brought are…not the most ideal of specimens. We would have had better prospects had we been sent to the East.”

“Quantity is very much its own quality. And even in the event that our liege should find it to be unsatisfactory, we can refine our tribute into a purer distillation. And as for our location, the frontier of the New World gives us the liberty to go about our business with little concern for discretion.”

“You say that, but I have heard no tales of organized demon hunters towards the Atlantic.”

“You are referring to the Devil Busters, are you not?”

“Of course. When last I checked, they are the only organized group of humans to actively hunt and destroy any demon they can find.”

“The key words are ‘can find’, and I would think that we have done more than a satisfactory job of keeping ourselves hidden.”

“Sooner or later, we will run out of proxies to go about doing our dirty work. Just an hour ago, one of our scouts came back to report that another of their fellows went and fell off a cliff.”

“The sad cost of our business, I’m afraid, yet a price we can most certainly afford to pay. I do not mean to disparage against them, but I weigh our lives to be heavier than theirs. We are destined for greater purposes than to be scrabbling among the humans to eke our living ourselves.”

“Aye, so we are. Now tell me, what is the status of the weapon? I would think that the vessel I personally discovered to be the perfect container for the Spirit of Madness.”

(cont.)

“Suitable, and most opportune. Demons though we may be, but I have no desire to personally bloody my claws with the blood of an innocent. That is the work of lesser, more brutish beings. But I digress to your point. Yes, the vessel is suitable.”

“My friend, I am sensing a complication.”

“It is nothing distressing. Minor burns, some broken bones, and some small amount of decomposition, but nothing that magnetite and ritual cannot repair. The container was in excellent condition all things considered. I applaud the work of mortal burial rites.”

“You are the scholar and the scientist between us. I shall not question, but only urge for you to take the utmost care. One mistake, and our existences are forfeit. We only have but one shot to unfetter the shackles that bind us to the Master, and all of our chances are on the weapon.”

“My dear, Belial, have you ever known me to be careless in my procedures? No, we shall be on our most vigilant. I will not see us serve another year under that Scapegoat’s oppressive bootlick.”

“And the weapon? What shall we do with it when all is said and done?”

“One step at a time. But we must prepare. Summon the congregation and prepare the sacrifices.The Master soon comes, and both ourselves and the weapon must be ready to receive him.”

==========

Annette Turner (Lv. 15)

>Combat: ++
>Social: +
>Knowledge: +

>Talents/Traits/Perks:
>Deadshot: Firearms do an additional 10% more damage, rounding to the closest whole number.
>Keep ‘em Firing: Reload the gun to a quarter capacity and return to shooting in the same round.
>Fitness Discipline: You take -10 to Combat for every hour of physical exertion instead of every thirty minutes.
>Ranch Hand: You gain a +20 bonus roll to handling animals (breaking in mustangs, corralling cattle, riding horses, tossing lassos, etc.)

>Demons(s): High Pixie

==========

>>47916938
>It is nothing distressing. Minor burns, some broken bones, and some small amount of decomposition, but nothing that magnetite and ritual cannot repair.

I swear to YHWH Kaz if you're pulling this...

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>>47916938
[7:34 PM, Wednesday Agust 25th, 1875]

Even though the fire had long been extinguished, the foul smell of burnt wood and smoke still emanated from the skeleton of the ruined barnyard. There was little doubt that the Malloys would have to tear it down and rebuild everything from the ground up. That was at least a whole six months of labor, five if there weren’t any complications.

But that isn’t any of your business, or your primary field of expertise. Once upon a time, you were a horse rancher, and the only thing you know about farming is which feed your horses prefer and how to properly store bales of hay and feed. Now, your mind was focused on things far from the domestic life of a rancher.

Primarily, concerning demons. To be specific, the individual that killed your family.

Such thoughts are unbecoming of you. You shake your head of the melancholy mood and return to patrolling the outer perimeter of the Malloy estate. Bolt mutters occasionally at every frozen demon or sulfur-smelling crater, but your steady hand keeps the horse at a moderate trot.

Four hours have passed since the demons attacked the Malloys, and you and the rest of the Devil Busters drove them off. With firearms and magic, courtesy of one Neeb, you managed to carry the day and prevent any more kidnappings. The demons fled, but you dared not pursue. It was best to ultimately secure the farms before chasing after the perpetrators.

Those are the events that find you patrolling through the fields, with Deputy Vagun trailing around the opposite end of the property. Neeb sits on the porch, meditating, and Doctor Robbins and Sheriff Vagun tending to the distressed family inside.

Occasionally, some of the corpses you pass are still in good condition. Perhaps there is something to be gained through acquisition of their mortal property…

>Roll 1d100 for Loot
>Best out of three

========

Previous thread should be:
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/47611943/

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>47917133

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>47916938
Are we about to witness the birth of Alice?

>>47917133

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>47917133

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>47917133

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>>47917154
>>47917157
>>47917166

>81, 24, 62

You are lucky. Neeb’s magic had rendered more frozen corpses than ashen ones, and it is among the half-melted and bloody chunks that you grab your treasures. A good cleaning of them is in order, just to get the stink of demon and blood out of your acquired items. Thankfully, there is a well no less than ten feet away from the main house.

>You looted:
>450 Macca
>3 Life Stones
>1 Maragi Stone
>1 Agialo Stone

>You now have:
>450 Macca
>7 Life Stones
>1 Maragi Stone
>1 Agialo Stone
>2 Zio Stones
>2 Patra Stones

Once you’re certain that you’ve cleaned the demons’ pockets and pouches for all their worth, you turn your attention to the rest of the property. You give it a good hard look, surveying both the land and the persons that meander around the immediate vicinity.

There are no demons, and the only presence your medallion is reacting to is the presence of the demon corpses. Your High Pixie lies dormant within the magic stone, waiting for your call to action should the need arise. Not that anything is going to happen anytime soon.

With no demons on the horizon, the land is peaceful as it makes the transition from afternoon to the beginning of twilight. The sunset over the mesas is beautiful from this viewpoint. Little wonder why the Malloys settled here, if not for the fertile soil.

It’s safe enough for you to break away from your own patrol. There are things to take care of. You should…

>Choose one:
>Ask Neeb how the hell he can do magic
>Check up with Deputy Vagun on patrol
>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside

>>47917415
>>Ask Neeb how the hell he can do magic

>>47917415
>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside
Weren't we supposed to get reinforcements for O'Donnell?

>>47917415
>>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside
Almost missed this because quest wasn't in the title boss.

>>47917415
>>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside

>>47917415
>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside
send help....you know, quickly

>>47917415
>>Talk to Robbins and Sheriff Vagun inside

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You guide Bolt into a brisk canter as you make towards the front of the house. The question of how the hell Neeb can perform magic can continue to burn a hole in your pocket until a later and more opportune date. What’s more pressing now is the task O’Donnell sent you to do.

Get the Devil Busters over to the Arrow Caves as fast as you can. Four hours have already gone. That makes four hours more for you to find and reunite with O’Donnell.

You dismount once you hit the porch, hitching Bolt up to the post as you make your way up the house. Neeb’s eye cracks open at your approach, and he directs a peaceful nod in your direction before he resumes his meditations.

The sound of your boots on the wood echoes clearly throughout the house as you enter, pushing past the door and some of the startled occupants of the house. Room by room, you search for your intended targets until you find them, the Sheriff inspecting Robbins as he sutures the wounds of the Malloy patriarch.

At your arrival, the Sheriff politely intones, “Ma’am”, accompanied by a nod of the head. You return the gesture, and head to stand behind Robbins. To his credit, he maintains a strict focus on the wound, only requiring another few threads and pulls before its completely shut.

“Miss Turner,” He says, mumbling through a mouth clamped on the handle of a scalpel, “I trust that you’re alright? No injuries to report?”

You shake your head, even though he can’t see it. “I’m quite alright, doctor. How is he?”
“He’ll live. One of the demons sent a projectile through the window, punctured right through his abdominal muscle. He should be fine with a week’s worth of bedrest.”

“Are you almost done?”

“A few more minutes, yes, I will be.”

>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”
>“We head off to join O’Donnell first thing in the morning.”
>Custom option.

>>47917963
>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”

>>47917963
>>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”

>>47917963
>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”

>>47917963
>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”
There's all of us here, but Donell is probably tackling the same or more by himself.

>>47917963
>“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now.”

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“It’s getting late, but we have to go to O’Donnell now,” You force the issue as bluntly as you can, jerking a finger to the outdoor environs. “That’s why I came back, to get all of y’all since we figured out what was makin’ all the people disappear.”

That gets the Sheriff to pop right off the wall, a dark look creasing on his face. “You’re gonna have to explain that one, Miss.”

You take a quick look around the room. The Malloy patriarch is unconscious as Robbins works away at his injuries. The only people in the room out of the know are the few Malloys, two young children and their elder sisters or mothers. The men went into town an hour ago to fetch some more rounds for their firearms.

“They’re gonna have to go,” You say, pointing to the others. “This isn’t for their ears.”

The Sheriff nods, turning to the people in question. “Ladies, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us. Official business of the State, I’m afraid.”

With worried glances to their family head, they file off, casting nervous looks towards everyone, you especially. You return their gazes with a flat stare, unperturbed by how filthy, dirty and unladylike you must look in their eyes. It’s like they’ve never seen a woman in trousers before.

Once they’ve gone, and the door’s been shut tight, you turn to the Sheriff. “Alright, so here’s what happened…”

>You gave a brief explaination of what you and O’Donnell discovered
>You told him about the likely theory that the demons have for the missing civilians

By the time you finish, the Sheriff hasn’t gone as much pale as he’s boiling red in rage. “I’m gonna kill ‘em,” He mutters, hand gripped right on the revolver at his waist, “I’m gonna put a bullet in all those sunsovbitches right where the sun doesn't shine, right where it hurts. Nobody, not even a bloody demon from the pits of hell, has the right to fuck with my people.”

(cont.)

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Robbins stands up, wiping bloody hands on his apron. “Agreed. The sooner we rescue those people, the better. If what O’Donnell said is actually happening, then shudder to think how the demons are treating them. Beehives, he said?”

You nod, and he shivers. “How abominable.”

“Then time’s a’wasting,” you grunt. “We need to head out immediately. Would’ve done that a few hours ago, but there was a security issue that I wasn’t about to force. Least I can do to let the Malloys feel safer.”

The Sheriff makes a dissatisfied noise, checking the bandoleers around his chest and the chambers of his revolvers. He loads them with quick, practiced motions, snapping them back into their holsters with a deft motion. Huh. So that’s why Deputy Vagun does it. He takes after his father in more ways than one.

“I’d normally get the whole department back in Blindpoint,” He mutters, “But there isn’t enough time. We’ve already waited long enough. Those poor, missing bastards certainly have, too. Can you track your way back to the caves?”

“I believe I can. I’ve always been good with directions. Comes with handling horses and cattle.”

“Good.” The Sheriff makes for the door. “I’ll talk with the Missus before we head out. Can you be ready in five?”

Robbins nods as he wraps the final bandage around the Malloy patriarch. “Once I’m packed up and clean, I will be.”

He grunts, unlocking the door and strutting out. “Then go make sure the others are ready to go.”

>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.
>Go get Deputy Vagun, have Robbins get Neeb.

>>47918466
>>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.
We can get the exposition on Demon Whispering. Maybe (probably not) we can learn it,

>>47918466
>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.

>>47918466
>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.
magic man

>>47918466
>>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.

>>47918466
>Go talk to Neeb, have Robbins get Deputy Vagun.

So if this thread has Alice, Belial and Nebrios can't be too far behind huh? Hope they are reasonable if they aren't overtly enemies.

>>47918627
no, they're not too far behind at all. They are in fact, already here.

>>47918651
You're right, I must have skimmed the OP, didn't notice Belial was already mentioned. Looks like they are the bad guys too.

Hope we can pull some Null Dark/Fire out of our ass.

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You start walking towards the door yourself, “I’ll take care of Mister Neeb. I trust you can grab Deputy Vagun?”

Robbins nods, grimacing at a particular nail that can’t be rid of blood. Or at the fact that he has to go and fetch a man he isn’t too particularly fond of. “Yes, yes, I can. I’ll just head around and holler for him.”

>>Neeb

You find Neeb on the footsteps, still seated in the position you found him in: legs crossed together and his arms tucked peacefully between the spaces they formed. Perhaps there’s something in your footsteps this time around, because the Chinaman breaks out of his trance, standing with the aid of the nearby porch rail.

He smiles, gesturing towards the field before giving you a brief round of applause. For a moment, you’re confused at what the gesture means before he repeats it again, this time with a little more emphasis on the mounds of ash and mangled body parts. Unless you’re mistaken, he seems to be applauding at your battle with the demons.

In spite of yourself, you smile. Admittedly, he did most of the work with the wide arcs of lighting and fields of crystalline ice, but you did your fair share as well with the aid of High Pixie.

Neeb reaches into the depths of his robes and pulls out another series of medallions, opening to his book with a dramatic flourish. He only manages to make it through three pages before he finally finds what he’s looking for, presenting the pages and their contents to you.

It’s just like earlier that day. It’s time for you to pick another demon.

Your uncertainty at being presented with another choice so soon is dispelled by his nod. He seems to be satisfied with your ability to command High Pixie in combat to trust you with another demon.

>Choose one:
>A robed woman, with wings of pure white.
>A tiny man, with the head of a grinning moon
>A pale spirit, with hollow eyes and empty mouth

>>47918882
>A robed woman, with wings of pure white.

>>47918882
>>A robed woman, with wings of pure white.
Oh so her angel gets fucking pants

>>47918882
Poltergeist, Angel, and Sandman

Which I think is Zan, Bufu, and Zio respectively? Varies from game.

>>47918998
We're running on SMT IV move sets for the most part here, with some extra flavor.

>Demon's primary element
>Poltergeist: Zan
>Angel: Bufu
>Sandman: Zio

>>47918882
>A robed woman, with wings of pure white.

>captcha answers form a cross
Deus clearly vult

>>47919039
Yeah nailed it.

>>47918882
>Angel
We already got Zio and I think Bufu might be more useful in the coming fights.

>>47918882
>>A pale spirit, with hollow eyes and empty mouth
Fashion Tensei. Also, variety.

>Scapegoat
Wait a minute. Azazel?

You point to the illustration of what you believe to be an angel. If anything else, you choose Angel because out of all the options presented, it seems to be the one to put you back in some good semblance with God. After all, you ARE consorting with demons.

Neeb nods, pressing the illustration and whispering a few words in his native language. With a burst of light, the woman in the book leaps off of the page to hover before you in a serene and peaceful expression. Her robe flows gently in the desert winds as she regards you with kind eyes.

“I am Divine Angel,” She intones with a melodious voice, “A servant of the Lord. You are to be my new charge? Very well. Let us walk the path of righteousness together.”

With those final words, the old man returns her into the medallion in his hands, disappearing in another flash of light. He hands the aforementioned trinket to you with a toothy smile, pantomiming how to slide it onto your necklace. Thanking him, you fiddle with the medallion as you slide it onto the leather thong to join High Pixie.

>Divine Angel (Lv. 12)
>Alignment: Law
>Personality: Devout
>MP: 59

>Moves:
>Dia
>Hama
>Patra
>Stun Needle
>Rakukaja

>>Five minutes later

Saddled in Bolt, you watch as Sheriff, Deputy, Doctor and Shaman canter beside you on the road leading out of the farm. With a silent nod, you crack the reins and dig your heels lightly into your mount’s side. Living up to his name, your stallion takes off into the desert twilight as you retrace your steps to Arrow Caves. Riding close behind you are the rest of the Devil Busters, and the two guests accompanying your group.

It’s going to be a long night…

>Roll 1d100 + 10 to track
>Best of three

Rolled 29 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>47919349

Rolled 17 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>47919349
What are Annette's High Pixie skills again Kaz?

Rolled 71 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>47919349
well this is going to be shitty

>>47919381
Not if you can help it.

Unless you mean the coming fight. Which in that case yes, most of us are probably going to die.

>>47919373
+ High Pixie (Lv. 17) [100% Loyalty]
--Race: Fairy
--Alignment: Neutral
--Personality: Friendly, Optimistic
--MP: 187

>Media (Restores smile amount of health to all allies)
>Zio (Weak lightning spell, 20% Shock to one foe)
>Rakunda (Lower's enemy's defense by one level)
>Sukukaja (Raises all allies' agility by one level)
>Mazio (Weak lightning spell, 20% shock to all foes)
>Healing Pleroma (25% Boost to healing spells)
>Paraladi (Removes stun from one ally)
>Me Patra (Removes bind, sleep or panic from all allies.)

>>47919422
>Restores smile amount of health to all allies
Heh you still have that typo. Smile health is important.

>>47919442
...I'm going to splatter my brains all over the keyboard for the shameful display of not noticing the typo and you won't stop me.

Writing...

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>>47919372
>>47919373
>>47919381

>39, 27, 81

It doesn’t take too long for you to pick up your trail once again. Three weeks of recovering from your injuries and traveling on the road haven’t stripped you of your sense of direction. If anything, it’s made you better than you are, all things considering.

You manage to find yourself back to the spot where you and O’Donnell parted within the better half of an hour. The carcass of the dead demon is still there, surrounded by carrion flies and scavengers. They don’t even give you the time of day as you ride into the clearing. They know your business is not with them.

The day isn’t too late yet. The red sunset is still casting enough light for the land to be seen without the aid of torches or a bonfire. Signaling for everyone to stop, you dismount from Bolt and begin to search for any clues that O’Donnell may have left behind. The man said that you would know it when you saw it…

>>Searching

You eventually find it, a series of scratches along the rocks created by some sort of magic. The letters “D” and “B” have been carved into the stone where you last talked. Devil Buster. Drawing your rifle, you scan for more clues, finding them scattered along the rocks, carved into fallen timber. They ascend from the ground, and you’re forced to climb higher, much to the dismay and irritation of Neeb and the Sheriff.

Following the trail eventually leads you to one of the caves on the higher outcrop of the cliff, beyond the place where the ogre you killed had fallen from the perilous height. It is among five other caves, but you know that without a doubt, that the last sign O’Donnell left you leads into this one.

“Torches,” You mutter, searching for nearby wood. “We’re going to need torches.”

(cont.)

>>47919404
I meant the entire scenario. Low rolls did not help.

>>47919744
>>Torches

They’re crude and not the most ideal of spelunking implements, but they’ll get the job done. Made from brush stick and alcohol-soaked scraps of cloth, they shine bright enough to illuminate a good twenty feet in front of you. On one hand, you can see clearly in the darkness. On the other hand, the demons will know you’re coming.

Live and let live. And you’d rather see what’s coming than have no idea that of what you’re going into.

Deputy Vagun breaks the silence just as you’re about to enter the cave. “Normally I’d say ‘ladies first’,” he mutters in a sardonic tone as he unholsters his revolver. “But I’ll make an exception this time. I’ll take the lead, if you don’t mind. Johnny-boy would have my head if any of his crew got hurt.”

Robbins seems to be half-relieved and half-worried at this turn of events. “But what about you? Will you be alright being the first of us to descend into this…pit of monsters?”

He shrugs. “This is a far cry from the worst I’ve been in. Besides, I can handle myself well enough. And there would be few tears shed over my corpse on Johnny’s part if I bought the farm,” He finishes in a joking tone.

>>Explore

The cave is dry, thankfully devoid of any sort of humidity as you begin the descent. It slopes gently into the rocks as you enter, but you’re careful to look and call out any sort of hazards. Demons are one thing, but broken bones and necks are just as much of a danger as well.

You don’t know how deep you’ve gone, but eventually, you come to a fork in the road, two seemingly identical paths leading to the right and left. There’s no indication as to which one O’Donnell took. You don’t know whether or not it’s a good or bad thing.

>Take the left path that seems to go down.
>Take the right path that seems to go up.
>Split the crew up.

>>47919857
>Take the right path that seems to go up.

>>47919857
>Take the right path that seems to go up.
Don's not crazy, right?

>>47919857
>>Take the right path that seems to go up.

>>47919857
>>Take the right path that seems to go up.

>>47919911
I dunno. Dude is some kind of time traveler. Who knows what he might be thinking.

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>>47920117
You forgot to mention that he's apparently in league with this trustworthy fellow.

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>>47920148
Oi vey I am most trustworthy indeed good goy!

Seriously though, I actually do feel bad for Mastema most the time. Compared to most folks in the SMT universe, he's not actually that bad at all.

You gesture to the right passage with the barrel of your rifle. “Let’s go right.”

Deputy Vagun frowns. “What makes you say that? Hunch?”
He seems to definitely less-standoffish than he was when you first met him. Perhaps he’s mellowed out since you plugged the ogre by the cliff, or the fact that he’s seen you in action with demons back on the Malloy residence. Either way, he seems to be alright with you calling the shots.

But you go back to his question, frowning. “I’m not sure. Instinct, maybe? I don’t know, other than the fact that it seems to slope up. I’m not too keen on going down before we completely investigate the top floor.”

He mulls the words in his head before shrugging. “Makes enough sense. Alright, let’s go.”

>>Cavern

After what seems like an eternity of traveling up the winding passage, you emerge to a large cavern, at least the size of the interior of a house. It’s dimly lit with braziers scattered around the cavern, with the smoke rising out of a hole among the ceiling stalactites. It’s empty for the most part, the only thing here present at least two dozen crude bedrolls.

At least two dozen demons, or up to that same number with human collaborators. The size was just right for humans. This is not a prisoner’s holding. The absence of chains or any other restrictive devices confirms that much for you.

“Well this is just fine and dandy,” the Sheriff growls, kicking aside a nearby bedroll. “There’s no one here. And that makes me all the more nervous. Two dozen potential monsters, and we’ve got no idea where they are.”

Robbins kneels down to inspect a bedroll, recoiling momentarily at the horrendous stench of unwashed body before inspecting it with a ginger grip. “Downstairs, perhaps? Or they may be out on another kidnapping spree.”

“Not real comforting, doc. Not real comforting at all…”

>Stay awhile and search.
>Head back downstairs now.
>Custom option.

>>47920332
>Stay awhile and search.
Pretty sure demons don't need bedrolls. Let's give this place a once over then start working our way down.

>>47920332
If we don't see any DB marks, we should
>Head back downstairs now.
unless we can set traps or something

>>47920332
>>Head back downstairs now.

>>47920332
>Head back downstairs now.

Kaz @TaskForceKaz 4m4 minutes ago
And my internet just cut out. Gimme a sec to restart my computer.

A passing glance confirms that O’Donnell didn’t come up here. There are no ‘D.B.’ markings anywhere, on the floor, walls or ceiling. It’s time to head out and investigate the lower levels. You call out to the others in a soft voice, careful not to let it echo along the walls. Once you’ve all regrouped, you head back down the cavern…

>>Left Passage

You only notice it with the fresh updraft of the wind: the stench of rot and human refuse. Everyone in the party struggles not to gag, you yourself are no exception. You’ve been exposed to dirty work before on the ranch, shoveling horse manure and other foul things.

But this is something different, something more insidious and removed from the norm than the daily life of a horse rancher.

And the sight that greets you upon turning into the corridor will haunt you for the rest of your life.

At least fifteen people lie chained to the walls, men, women and children of all ages either staring blankly at nothing with eyes glazed over in sheer passiveness. Some are in varying stages of lethargy, with the most active feebly stirring to try to free themselves, and the most passive lying in piles and puddles of their own excrement. And those are the ones that are alive.

At least twenty other corpses lie with them, similarly chained to the wall even in death. Their captors are either callous enough to leave them there instead of properly disposing them, or to not be bothered removing them from the presence of live humans. You’re not sure. Both are equally disgusting.

But what unites the living and the dead are a series of tubes and piping that dig into their bodies, through the skin to penetrate deep within them. In the center of the room, some kind of…mechanical heart beats, siphoning out not blood, but some sort of azure fluid from their bodies.

Liquid magnetite.

(cont.)

“Oh my God-” Deputy Vagun only has a few seconds to get the words out of his mouth before he collapses onto the wall and begins to dry heave. The noise attracts the attention of the more alert prisoners. Upon seeing you, a fire lights in their eyes and they begin to double their efforts to free themselves, hoarse voices calling out for your aid.”

Neeb looks on with a troubled expression on his face while the Sheriff is about to have an aneurysm out of sheer rage. Robbins grabs you by the shoulder, agahast and pale at the sight before your eyes. He seems to be holding up better than the deputy, at any rate.

"We..." He takes a moment to swallow a lump in his throat before continuing, "We have to get them out of here immediately. Fresh water, disinfectant, there's no telling what they've been exposed to. And the machine over there. Is that...no it's not blood..."

>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.
>Hold everyone back, wait and see what happens.
>Custom option.

>>47920703
>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.
O'Donnell told us they were fueling something bad. Maybe we can prevent it by disconnecting them. Also trying to save as many as we can,etc.


OOC though it's probably not going to do much.

>>47920703
>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.
Time to be big goddamn heroes!

Maybe. Probably not. But it's the effort that counts right?

>>47920703
>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.

>>47920703
>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.

>>47920703
>>Hold everyone back, wait and see what happens.

File: Neeb.jpg (62 KB, 299x450)

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You don’t even hesitate. “Go!” You hiss, rushing forward to the closest victim, a boy no older than your younger sister. He stirs awake to your touch, eyes widening as you grab his shackles and begin inspecting them. “There has to be some kind of lock…or key…”

Neeb suddenly materializes next to you, gently pulling at the boy’s chain from where the spike is embedded deep into the cave wall. With a snap of his fingers, a blue tongue of fire comes to life at his fingers. Pressing at the link embedded into the wall, he pinches as hard as he can, the metal turning cherry pink in his hands as the acrid scent of burning metal causes you to gag.

Within a few seconds, the chain snaps. You catch the child as he falls down, the bind fettering him now little more than a puddle of slag on the ground. Neeb nods grimly and turns to another of the victims, working his magic to free the prisoners bound with metal.

But you’re not to be outdone. There are those who are simply bound by twine. You and the others free them easily enough, cutting through crude twine with knives with little effort. Once Deputy Vagun recovers, he moves to help, unsheathing his own knife and going at the bonds with gusto.

Removing the pipes from their bodies causes moans of temporary discomfort as you swiftly remove them in a single, violent pull. At least four inches are stained red with blood, and magnetite drips out of wounds and artificial veins alike. Robbins can heal those quickly enough. There’s bandages in his bag-

The ground shakes, and dust falls from the ceiling as movement can be heard. Heavy footsteps echo from the far side of the room, where another passage leads deeper into the cave. You don’t know when they will arrive, but the demons are coming.

>Choose one:
>Charge into the passage, guns and magic blazing
>Set an ambush in the cavern, lie in wait for them

>Summon demons?
>Yes
>No

>>47920703
>Get them out of here. They’ve suffered long enough.
we need to stop that machine from pumping anymore out of them

>>47920956
>Charge into the passage, guns and magic blazing
Draw attention away from this room. If there's info to be had, Donnell better have it.

>>47920956
>Set an ambush in the cavern, lie in wait for them
>Yes

Yeah, we're kinda gonna need everything we got. We did just piss off a bunch of demons by freeing their food.

>>47920956
>Set an ambush in the cavern, lie in wait for them
>Yes

>>47920977
We'd be staging the ambush in the connecting cavern I believe. It'll keep the civilians out of harms way and give Robbins time to do his work.

>>47920956
>Set an ambush in the cavern, lie in wait for them
>Yes

Going to need to see our enemy first before we can decide what type of magic to throw at them.

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I think this is gonna be necessary.

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>>47921046
?

>>47921099
Works for me.

>Neeb's Moveset
>Mabufudyne
>Maziodyne
>Trisaigon
>Deadly Wind
>Energy Drain
>Concentrate
>Debilitate
>Luster Candy

>Select a role for Neeb:
>Magical Attacks
>Buffs/Debuffs

Writing...

>>47921133
Holy shit. Well we want to make this fast instead of a dragged out fight so...

>Magical Attacks
Have him Concentrate right now. When he see's his opponents I assume he'll know what spell to use.

>>47921133
oh my god, Neeb. No single human should be packing that much under the trunk.
>Buffs/Debuffs
wouldn't want to accidentally kill anybody else who could be deeper in

>>47921155
Don't worry about collateral. The magic doesn't reach that far.

>>47921168
With Trisaigon in a tunnel, I am actually concerned about all the oxygen in the deeper regions being consumed.

>>47921183
Trisaigon won't consume that much oxygen in that little of time.

Look at Kaz's map, We aren't even halfway done.

That was the last vote of the night for me. I'm passing out. Peace.

Sudden death for Neeb.
1. Magical attacks
2. Buffs/Debuffs

>>47921133
>Magical Attacks
Faster we kill em the fast we can get those people out of there and find O'Donnel

>>47921237
not much of a sudden death when there were only two of us.

>>47921240
thankfully, a third has rolled in.

Le sigh. Whatever. I'll do up to the reveal, then call it a night, pick up tomorrow in a few hours. Standard protocol then.

Magical attacks for Neeb it is.

Writing...

File: Robert Vagun III.png (248 KB, 616x800)

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>Set and ambush in the cavern, lie in wait for them
>Summon your demons

“Git into cover!” You hiss, reaching for your rifle with one hand as the other moves towards your necklace. Touching the medallions, you concentrate, and the demons bound to the amulets answer your call. High Pixie and Angel come to stand right next to you, at the ready. “We’ll set an ambush for those bastards.”

The Sheriff nods, drawing his revolvers and ducking behind a stalagmite. His son quickly joins him while Neeb races towards you. Robbins herds the victims further back, instructing everyone in a gentle, but firm voice, to take cover behind a large boulder. Pacifist he may be, but there’s no denying his skill with medicine, swiftly tending to the victims’ wounds with clinical precision.

Neeb calls for your attention, muttering something in Chinese as he pantomimes to you with frenzied hand gestures. Once he’s sure that he’s got your attention, he starts to make more hand gestures. He waggles his fingers as if shooting lighting like before, this time in the direction of the cave. That carries on for a few seconds before he begins to…flex?

You blink just to make sure you aren’t seeing things. The Oriental in the latter stages of his life is flexing as if he’s on some sort of…circus or physicians examination. He repeats the gesture, this time adding the wiggling fingers that you know to mean magic. Holding out a limp arm, he waggles his hands, and then it flexes as if…

…it had gained strength through magic.

(cont.)

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On one hand, you feel like a simpleton that it took you long enough to figure out what he meant. But on the other, it’s often quoted that hindsight is near-perfect vision. So you’re not entirely at fault.

“Alright, Neeb,” You mutter, chambering a round into your Henry Repeater, “Here’s what I want you to do…”

>You pantomimed that you wanted Neeb to provide magical attacks.

He nods, and readies his magic, and you can feel the ends of your hair stand up on end as magical energy emanates from the man sitting next to you. The demons are getting closer, and you can see what comes down the long cavern.

>Neeb used Concentrate

Monsters, for the most part, just like the ogre you shot outside no less than six hours ago. But this time, they’re accompanied by an escort of furry, dog-faced beasts that walk on hind legs. How unusual, but not quite as odd as the creature that leads them.

The scandalous outfit does not bother you as much as her wings and tail. Your eyes narrow at her coquettish smile as the nearby males vie for her attention, seemingly eager to please their mistress. Of all the demons you’ve faced so far, this may be your first demon pertaining to your faith.

Angel seems to agree, her grip on your shoulder tightening as she points it out. “A Lilim, one of the daughters of the First Woman Lilith, banished from the Garden to copulate with Samiel. They are dangerous, especially to the men. Do not let any of them fall under her charming spell!”

>Orders for High Pixie?
>Orders for Angel?

>>47921254
There's a fourth, he's just tired.

>>47921312
>Orders for High Pixie?
Mazio
>>Orders for Angel?
Hama Lilim

>>47921312
Rakukaja and Sukukaja, focus on not letting anyone through.

>>47921312
>>47921346
I'll back this.

>>47921346
>>47921356
“Physical enhancement magic,” You mutter, lining up a shot. “I don’t want anyone getting in or out of that cavern.”

“Yes ma’am.” High Pixie and Angel have enough time to cast their spells before the demons get too close. It’s an odd sensation, to have magic coursing through your body, amplifying your senses. It’s slight, but you can definitely feel your trigger hand steadier, less wobbly and more even as you place the crosshair of your rifle right between a dog-beast’s eyes.

>The Party has +1 to Defense (-4 Damage per stack)
>The Party has + 1 to Hit/Evasion (+10 to Combat per Stack)

“Alright, on my command…” You whisper, as the demons get closer, close enough for you to count them. Ten ogres and at least five of the dog beasts to accompany the demoness. “Three…two…one…now!”

You pop up from your cover, gun still tracking your intended target as you give the command. “Open fire!” You cry as you squeeze the trigger of your Henry Repeater.

>Automatic hit, lying in ambush
>Roll 1d10 + 4 Damage
>Best of three
>Critical Hit, multiply final damage x3

Rolled 3 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>47921455

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>47921455

Rolled 9 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>47921455

>>47921478
>>47921484
>>47921519
The bullet you send through your target does a fine job of turning the beastman’s head into a fine explosion of shattered bones and ruined brains. Not only that, it also goes as far as to kill the beast standing behind it, going right through the demon’s throat and severing an important artery. Both drop to the ground, one headless and the other twitching pitifully as it begins the slow process of bleeding to death.
>Three Kobolds, Ten Ogres, One Lilim remain

“Take this, you sunsovbitches!” Sheriff Vagun roars as he opens up, revolvers glowing pink as he fires bullet after bullet into the mass of writhing bodies. His son likewise opens fire, with a more subdued attitude than his hot-blooded parent.

>Three Kobolds, 8 Ogres, One Lilim remain

But it is Neeb who deals a devastating blow. The air becomes charged and the taste of metal fills your mouth as coils of electricity dance along the shaman’s hands. These are of a dangerous intensity, even more ferocious than the magic he unleashed on the Malloy farm. Just getting next to it is even making your demons nervous and wide-eyed at the human’s casual display of power.

With an undulating battle cry, the shaman directs his hands towards the horde and unleashes a literal lightning storm upon the helpless demons. You can’t help but wince at the scent of their screams and the smell of cooking flesh as their bodies writhe and jerk to the dance of the lightning. Eventually, they stop, one by one falling as charred lumps of ruined flesh.

>One Lilim Remains

There is one still alive, however, if only barely. Her clothes are little more than ashen scraps of cloth that barely conceal what little of her body is not already on display. Her hair is unkempt, wide and standing on end from the electricity in the air. The demoness still breathes, and she is still defiant to her last breath.

>Choose one:
>The Departed
>The Interloper
>The Ruinous Flame

>>47921620
>>The Ruinous Flame

>>47921620
>The Ruinous Flame

>>47921620
>The Departed

>>47921620
>>The Interloper

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>The Ruinous Flame
You have gone by many names throughout the course of your existence. Spawn of the Morning Star, the Bright Flame of Evil, and contender for the title of the King of Bel. But it is the name of Belial that the mortals of this world know and refer to you as in mortal academia, hushed and fearful whisper, and by the armies of the Great Will.

And right now, you are aiding your companion in the preparations of stabbing your Master in the back. But you take a moment to remind yourself that it is not the Morning Star. No, your current liege is a false lord, a pretender with great delusions of grandeur. And a demon with enough power to make you a little more than nervous.

“Make haste,” Nebrios calls from the other end of the table, carrying a glass container of liquid magnetite. “The Master will approach within the hour. Take this and spread it across the ground, make sure to fill all the grooves we gouged from the earth.”

You grunt as you receive the jar. “Understood.”

Liquid magnetite is a viscous fluid, and is slow to flow even as you pour it onto the ritual circle that surrounds the altar. But alas, you dare not risk contaminating it by scooping it out yourself. Humans could handle it without any repercussions. Not so much for a demon. Your harvest is nowhere near the purest strain, but it is refined enough to avoid the taint of demons.

Law and Chaos. Light and Darkness.

The humans have this foodstuff, a frozen confection that comes in many flavors. Ice cream. Yes, it is a fitting analogy. Just one touch of your particularly strong ingredient could ruin the batch completely.

Once you’re sure that you’ve spread it all around the circle, you regard the human chained to the base of the alter. It was quite
amusing to watch Nebrios’ face crumble at the sight of a human discovering their hideout, and a member of the Devil Busters to boot.

(cont.)

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And then it stopped being funny when said Devil Buster tried to shoot Nebrios in the face. Almost everything went to hell until the two of you overpowered him with sheer luck. The human was strong, no doubt about it, definitely a subject of great quality. Tragically, the Magcardium was taxed to the limit, so the only option for this errant cowboy was a direct, old-fashioned sacrifice to the Vessel.

His eyes move rapidly in his unconscious state, and semi-coherent noises emerge from his throat. It’s nothing but fever dream gibberish. He calls for parents, begs forgiveness from a friend, tries to plead for his lover to stay. Mortals. You don’t have actually dreams to begin with. And you’re quite thankful for that.

But you turn to the Vessel in question, the container you personally oversaw the retrieval of. If it were not for the burn marks and the absence of breath, the container would have been the model image of a sleeping child. But both accounts were nothing that magnetite could not fix.

“Excellent,” Nebiros continues, pouring over a grimore with great scrutiny. “The final thing that is required is the Spirit of Madness to take hold of the Vessel.”

“Do you know how long that will take?” You ask, scratching the side of your head.

“No, I do not. It could be from as quick as ten seconds to as long as forever. This kind of procedure has never been done before. We are charting into unventured studies in the fields of paranormal science.”

“So you say, but we are in the middle of the desert. There is no water here.”

“That is besides the point. Now, is the Vessel ready?”

You take a moment to inspect the face. You notice a stray hair out of place, and quietly tuck it behind the hears. You are not a demon given to aesthetics, but the Master believed that appearance was everything. All the more to catch him off-guard.

(cont.)

“Yes, it is.”

The demon rubs his hands together in excitement. “Excellent. Now, all that is left co complete is the ritual to bind the Spirit to the Vessel. Gather the congregation. They will want to hear this and bear witness to our liberation.”

Even as Nebiros begins to cant in the language of the mystic script, he gives you a smile. That alone is enough to make you sure that you’re on the right path. There’s going to be hell to pay for sure, especially if said offended is an exceptionally thin-skinned demon with temper issues.

But with your friend, it might not be so bad.

===

We'll resume in 5-7 hours. Please keep thread bumped and have fun theorizing.

>>47921910
wonderful, when do we get someone who can into stealth?

Bump.

5 bucks Neeb dies here weakening the Master for Alice to wake up/finish him off.

Bumping to keep the thread alive.

Fight on!

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By the time the bullets stop flying and the smell of brimstone and charred flesh recedes to tolerable levels, there was little in the way of actual enemies. Mangled beyond recognition either through bullets or magic, there is little to scavenge or take from their charred remains. Even Neeb with his apparent delicacy with approaching these kinds of things, would have no profit from harvesting ashes.

>No loot available

If your ears are still ringing from the close proximity of the ambush, then the other demons definitely had to have heard that. The walls of the cave make even the most stifled of sneezes travel down and through the depths of the cavern’s twisting passages. You’ll be damned if you let them come to you.

As you and the lawmen reload their guns, Robbins approaches once he’s sure that everyone’s okay. He has to talk loudly, almost shouting, to make himself heard over the ringing in your ears, but you can still read his lips well enough.

“These people need aid,” he mutters, gesturing to his near-empty bag, “Aid that I can’t provide on my own. It isn’t too far of a ride to the Malloy farm as a temporary rest zone on the way to Blindpoint. They can even walk now that it’s getting cooler outside. But I’m not about to go alone out there. There’s all sorts of night predators that hunt in the desert, and that’s ignoring the demons.”

You cast a glance towards the crowd: huddled together, they whisper and mutter pitifully among themselves, clutching each other for warmth and the comfort of another kindred soul. The fact that they aren’t dead shows that the demons had some modicum of feeding them, but it hadn’t been enough. You have no medical degree, but you’ve been with enough animals to know when someone or something is severely malnourished.

>Pick someone to escort Robbins and the townsfolk:
>Sheriff Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one Repeater Rifle)
>Deputy Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one 2x barreled shotgun)
>Neeb (Magic)

>>47926855
>Sheriff Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one Repeater Rifle)
Rifle will be better out there while the shotgun will be better in here.

Congrats Sheriff, you get to live.

>>47926855
>Sheriff Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one Repeater Rifle)
I think we'll need Neeb's magic skills for the big boys

>>47926855
>>Sheriff Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one Repeater Rifle)

>>47926855
>Sheriff Vagun (Two Peacemakers, one Repeater Rifle)

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>>47926911
>>47926917
>>47926975
>>47927007
>Sheriff Vagun

“That’s a smart move,” He grunts, holstering his weapons. “The Malloy’s would be more open to receiving them if I led them there. Not to mention the fact that I’m the goddamn sheriff. Don’t do anything stupid, lass. And get O’Donnell from whatever pile of horse shit the bastard’s gotten himself into this time.”

With those encouraging words, he begins to shepherd the people out of the cave. He is gentle when he can, and firm when he needs to be, carrying and guiding those unable to make the hazardous walk up through the trickier parts of the passageway. Behind him, Robbins brings up the rear, pausing only to turn towards you with a worried look on his face.

It looks like he’s about to say something, but he catches himself and says, “Stay safe, Miss Turner,” before departing with the Sheriff and his new patients.

>Sheriff Vagun has left the party
>Doctor Robbins has left the party

You take stock of the remaining members. Neeb, Oriental Magician and actual member of the Devil Busters, and Deputy Adam Vagun, vitriolic friend of Mister O’Donnell. Between the former’s powerful magic and the latter’s sharpshooting, you’re more than sure that you can lead them to a victory. Battles had been won with lesser odds.

"Nothing has changed," You grunt as you ready your repeater. "Let's stop the varmints, find O'Donnell, and head on back home."

>>Deeper into the Cave

Once again, you eventually hit another fork in the road. However, there is a clear difference between this one and the prior one at the entrance. The passage to the right is devoid of any sort of noise save for a slight draft you can feel that blows cold, cave air into your face. To the left, there is a slight glow, and the faint scent of smoke. Fires. And if you concentrate to listen, you can hear noise that echoes along the granite walls of the passage.

>Go left to the larger room
>Go right to the smaller room

>>47927260
>Go left to the larger room
Time might be of the essence.

>>47927260
>>Go left to the larger room
Forward swiftly, so that we may rescue best daughteru!

>>47927260
>Go left to the larger room

>>47927372
Moh Shuvuu isn't here anon.

>>47927260
>>Go left to the larger room


>>47927372
>Rescue
>Implying Belial and Nebiros are not creating her right now and she won't be hostile

>>47927260
>Left

>>47927476
>>Implying Belial and Nebiros are not creating her right now and she won't be hostile
If we're lucky, she'll be in SMT1 mode where she just sits around looking cute and we have to fight Belial and Nebiros.

>>47927520
The ONLY time we're that lucky is against the opposite sex. Given that it's more likely Bel and Neb will bow down to Annette and Alice will through a world class Hissy fit.

>>47927563
So that means when Adrian encounters Alice, it's a sure thing she'll join us?

>>47927563
>Speech Check
>Roll a 90+
>Somehow a corpse looking thing and bipedal red devil blush.

>>47927598
Annette gets drafted as "Mom" to the creation of two high ranking demons and this turns into Task Force 666 Devil Mommy Interlude Quest.

>>47927614
I may have cringed a little there anon.

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>>47927614

>>47927579
Better than average odds I'd say.

>>47927598
Worse, we roll a nat 100 and they get heart pupils.

>>47927614
The Cringe is real.

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>>47927625
>>47927638
>>47927640
>All this cringing.
GOOD! Does this look like a face that abides by your mundane interactions!

>>47927659
That's the face of someone that has a death fetish and will kill you before you have the chance to say 'headpat' or some such shit. I'm going to treat her as such. Girl is a WMD.

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>>47927680
No. This is the face of someone that has a death fetish.

You'll die for her, right anon?

“Left, and hurry!” You hiss as you take off into a sprint. “I don’t want to waste any more time sitting around while the demons go about their diabolical plans.”

Out of the corner of your eye you can see Neeb and Vagun bringing up the rear. The deputy charges along behind you, hot on your heels as he cradles a shotgun. The Shaman is only a few paces behind, surprisingly limber for a man of his age, carefully inspecting a medallion around his neck glowing cherry pink.

The frantic pace you set for yourself has you leaping and bounding over errant stones and pebbles. You kick away what you can to clear the path for the other two as you hurry along the twisting corridor. Ducking and weaving through errant stalagmites, you charge through the darkness and descend deeper into the hole in the earth.

As you come closer to the cavern, you can hear something among the noises. Even though the groans and noises of animalistic creatures, there is something audible through the pandemonium. Something…that is singing.

Here we go around the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush
The mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning…

This is the way we wash our face
Wash our face
Wash our face
This is the way we wash our face
From all the blood in the morning…

This is the way we comb our hair,
Comb our hair,
Comb our hair,
This is the way we comb our hair
From all the worms in the morning….

It is a nursery rhyme you are familiar with, one your mother sang to you as a little girl, and one you sung to your family when you came of age. The voice that carries the melody is beautiful, but it is wrong. It echoes along the walls to reverberate into a hellish cacophony, a distortion.

You shiver in spite of yourself, your familiarity at the words gnawing at your resolve. But you press on, even as the cold pit in your stomach continues go grow and your nerves begin to fray.

>Choose one:
>A Memory
>The Interloper

>>47927708
Only if I have like a shitload of homunculus on me.

>>47927741
>>The Interloper

>>47927741
>The Interloper
5 bucks Alice is about to kill everyone in the congregation cept for her Uncles.

>>47927741
>>A Memory

>>47927741
>>A Memory

>>47927761
5 bucks saying she tries to kill he uncles too but they GTFO til she calms down.

5 Zimbabwe Dollars Annette gives a stern talking to Alice and smacks her ass like a mother would their child. Alice then grows up to be a perfectly well adjusted demon child daughter.

>>47927741
>>A memory

>>47927761
5 Bucks saying we get in there, somehow rescue O'Donnel, Alice grabs his gun and leaves a handprint, then we all get the fuck out.

>>47927761
10 macca we all die and create a time paradox.

>Annette you've created a time paradox!

>>A Memory:
“I hope didn’t come back too late,” Danny kisses you as you take the jacket off of his shoulders. “I’m terribly sorry. The meeting went late. They want to try and cut corners with my patent claim on the engine design.”

“You didn’t give them any quarter, I take it?” You say as you pound the dirt and dust out of the flannel.

“I didn’t actually,” He smiles, shifting in his steps. “I took your advice and stood my ground, dug my heels into the sand, and refused to give those penny-pinchers a single inch. The patent is mine, and no amount of complaining can prove them otherwise.”

“I don’t know much about patents or licenses, but I can say that I’m proud of you. You’ve been working on this for five years now. All your work is paying off.”

“Yes, it is.” He pauses looking out the window towards the distant figure of Old Man Turner shouting at nearby ranch hands. “And now your father won’t have any more reason to dislike me.”

“It takes a lot to grow on him,” You say as you guide him to family room, sitting him down on a soft couch. “Don’t worry. He’s as gruff and prickly as a cactus, but he’s accepted you.”

“He tries to crush my hand every time I offer a handshake.”

You take his hands in his, the calloused fingertips of your own meeting the smooth and unblemished surface of his. “That’s a Western handshake. You city boys can’t tell the difference between a sissy’s touch and a real grip.”

“I’ve lived ten years on the frontier,” Danny mutters, squeezing your hand in his, “I think I’ve properly learned to tell the difference.” He pauses, before a thought suddenly strikes upon him. “Oh, and I’ve got something….here!”

(cont.)

He reaches into his briefcase, pushing aside diagrams of steam engines and government licenses to pull out a book. It’s not new by any means, but it still shows signs of good care and handling.

“You did say that I wasn’t spending enough time with our child, so I went to the trading post and bought this!” He hands the book to you. “It’s become quite the rage back East with the men and women of literature. Recently imported from England and fresh off the presses in New York.”

You inspect the cover with a cursory glance, raising an eyebrow at the title. “I’ve never heard of this author before.”

“I spent some time reading it on the train back home,” He gestures, flipping through the pages. “The man’s sanity remains to be ascertained, but his storytelling cannot be denied. The illustrations are quite nice as well. Here, take a look. I’m sure that she’ll love it.”

You inspect the pictures, nodding occasionally while raising the odd eyebrow at every odd picture. “They are quite…detailed. Although I would think that a great deal of context is required.”

“Which is why we shall spend tonight reading it as a family.” He takes the book from you and begins to walk up the stairs, pausing only for a moment to turn back to you. “She isn’t asleep already, is she?”

You shake her head. “No. I had run out of nursery rhymes. I think I was on the verge of singing ‘Mulberry Bush’ for the third time before you came knocking.”

“Then she shall be delighted for this new story.”

You roll your eyes as you accompany him up the stairs of the Turner estate. “And delighted to see her father as well, I would hope.”

Your words are not wrong. She is delighted to see Danny, bouncing up and down and laughing as your husband takes your daughter in his arms, laughing as they spin around the room. Once they calm down, you tuck her once more into bed as Danny sits beside her.

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“I have a present for you, my sweet,” He says, opening the book. “A brand new story for our nightly readings, to make up for my time gone from you.”

She is delighted, trying to crane her neck to see the book. “What is it called?”

Danny takes a moment to clear his throat, intoning with dramatic inflection, “Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll.”

“I’ve never heard of it before. And Alonzo Picket has all the stories in his father’s library.”

“Not this one. This one is new, fresh from England. And if the reviewers are to be believed, then it is going to be a delight for children and their parents alike.”

At her look, you give her a smile and comfortingly squeeze her hand. “Yes, Taylor. There isn’t anything your father’s brought home that I haven’t liked. I’m sure you’ll like it, too.”

Blue eyes stare into your own brown ones, full of the concern of a child before they brighten up once more. “Okay! Daddy, can you start now?”

Danny chuckles as he opens the book, careful not to break its spine. “Alright. Ahem. ‘Chapter One: Down the Rabbit-Hole. Alice was beginning to get very tired…’”

Throughout the night, Danny regales Taylor with stories of giant caterpillars, late rabbits, and all other sorts of childish nonsense. And she absolutely loves it, blue eyes and blonde hair twinkling and bouncing with every cry and laugh of delight that the words elicit from your husband’s lips…

>>The Cavern

And it is those same blue eyes that stare at you from atop a raised alter, from the little girl that stands high among the congregation of demons. It doesn’t matter that she’s dressed up in the regalia of a fictional character, or that her hair is done in curls you’d never be able to do.

“Mommy?” The little girl asks, tilting her head in confusion at the sight of your entrance. “Is that you?”

(cont.)

>>47928290
FUCK YOU KAZ I FUCKING TOLD YOU HERE >>47917031

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>>47928290
Oh boy

>>47928319
Yeah you did. Good call.

>>47928290
Oh when Alice and Adrian meet

"You remind me of mommy"

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>>"Mommy, is that you?"
RUN PANIC.EXE

>>47928290
You don’t even notice your Henry Repeater dropping to the floor, falling from nerveless fingers as you stare uncomprehendingly at the child that you, Annette Rose Turner, know to be your very own daughter that you saw die before your very own eyes.

The sight of a dozen demons, ogres, devil women, and beastmen do not matter. Even the sight of a bloody O’Donnell, chained and bound to the altar, and flanked by two powerful demons straight out of hell. None of them matter, none of them at all.

A million emotions run through your heart, emotions you thought you left behind in that cemetery so many days ago. Shock, anger, grief, sorrow, rage, relief. All of it and more leak through a voice that you can’t even keep straight. Three words that escape from your throat in a cracked breath. “Oh my God…”

>Roll 1d100 to stay calm
>Best of three

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>47928397
OH MAN.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>47928319
>>47928336
>>47928340

This will be so much fun to explain to command.

"Why is FUCKING ALICE following a low level scrub like you?"
'She's my Aunt!"

>>47928397

>>47928397
The DC for this better be 101 cause I don't think there is any way for a Mother to stay calm in this situation.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>47928397

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Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>47928397
TIME FOR BESTU!

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>47928397
Does that mean Belial or Nebiros stole her husband's body? Oh fuck they had better hope she goes into shock else she's going to send them back to hell the follow them in to kick thier ass again.

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>72, 67, 89
The congregation parts as you sprint towards the alter. The cries of your companions go unheeded, falling upon deaf ears as your cries for your daughter overwhelm your senses. There is no finesse, no refined movement in your mad run. Your emotions are spiraling out of control, reason has no hold over your actions anymore.

Eventually you reach the top of the dais. The demons part to let you pass, surprise written on their faces as you rush to the alter and pull your child into a tight embrace. All of the coiled emotions within your body break like a damn and come pouring out of your body.

“It’s going to be okay,” You frantically whisper, running a hand down her hair as you cradle her small body against yours. Her skin is cold to the touch, deathly cold, as you bitterly cry into her clothing. “It’s going to be okay. Mommy’s here, Taylor…”

Taylor is silent, but she eventually returns your hug with one of her own. The gesture sends another fresh wave of emotions through your heart, and your sobs double in their intensity.

“Mommy…don’t cry,” She whispers. “You shouldn’t cry…”

“Don’t…”

The corner of your eyes flicker to O’Donnell, who struggles against his bonds with gritted teeth. “That’s not…anymore…”

“Mommy? Can I ask you a question?”

You turn to your daughter, reluctantly breaking out of the close embrace as you look her directly in the eyes. “Yes, yes, anything you want, Taylor. Just ask for it, please…”

The smile on Taylor’s face is bright, even as she utters five terrible words that will haunt you for the rest of your life. “Will you die for me?”

You don’t even have a time to blink before a sharp pain lances through your body. Blood comes from your mouth as you try to form words, try to ask why your daughter’s hand is embedded deep within your body. But all that comes is a rasping whimper as you collapse onto the ground, tears coming to mix with blood.

“Wh…why…"

>>47928728
Going to need a Soma for that one.

The last sight before your vision fails you completely is the sight of your daughter cradling your face with bloody hands, whispering in your ear with a breathy voice.

“We’ll be together again, Mommy,” She says, giggling. “You, me, Daddy, and Uncle Red and Black forever and ever and ever…just the way I want it...just the way our family should be...”

>Chose a character:
>Adam Vagun
>Jonathan O’Donnell
>Txiv Neeb

>>47928785
>>Txiv Neeb
WE NEED MAGIC AND DEMON EXPERTISE

>>47928785
>Txiv Neeb

>>47928785
>Txiv Neeb
RIP

>>47928785
>Txiv Neeb
Alice has the most human character kills within the Devil Summoner Quests.

>>47928926
1?

>>47928942
2 now unless Annette somehow survives a hole in her chest.

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>>47928804
>>47928815
>>47928853
>>47928926
You have gone by many names, some of them great exaggerations, others, a painful truth. The Last Txiv Neeb, Father of Spirits, and Retainer of the Demon Whisper. Kinslayer, and last of the Children Who Dance Upon the Mountain. Before the time of troubles, you were known as Alang to your family, to your tribe. To the Society of Empty Palms, you were

But to the man you know as Jonathan O’Donnell, as well as your new companions, you are simply Neeb.

That is all that is necessary.

The woman falls to the ground, unresponsive and bleeding profusely from the terrible wound that the Jiangshi child has inflicted upon her. You do not speak the Western tongue, but you have seen many things in your travels to know that this child is of great importance to the Turner woman. A daughter, given the familiarity and slight resemblance.

The Deputy is seems to be unsure what to do. His desire is clear: sprint through the demons to aid the bleeding woman and O’Donnell. However, demons bar his path. For all his bullets, he would soon run out and be overrun no matter how fast or skilled he was.

You grimace as you ready your grimore, flipping all the way to the end of the book, to where your most powerful demons lie. This is going to be an extremely difficult fight, even with the aid of your powerful magics and the gods of China.


>Choose two demons to summon:
>Bai Hu/Byakko (Phys/Debuff) [Zio]
>Bishamonten (Phys/Buff) [Agi]
>Seiten Taisei (Strong Phys) [Zan]
>Xi Wangmu (Magic/Healing) [Bufu]

>Neeb should:
>Buff/Debuff
>Magic attacks

>>47928728
>“Will you die for me?”
Didn't even wait for her to say Yes/No. What kind of shit Alice did they make?

>>47929110
>>Seiten Taisei

>>Buff/Debuff

>>47929110
>Seiten Taisei (Strong Phys) [Zan]
>Xi Wangmu (Magic/Healing) [Bufu]

>Buff/Debuff

>>47929110
>Seiten Taisei (Strong Phys) [Zan]
>Xi Wangmu (Magic/Healing) [Bufu]

>Buff/Debuff

>>47929122
She agreed before Alice/Taylor even asked.

This shit is dark..

>>47929239
Alice is not a daughteru, she is a hyper demon of death and destruction.

>>47929239
But.. she's Annette's daughter?

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>>47929354

>>47929354
Not anymore, not really.

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>>47929335
Alice is too a daughteru.
She was made to be a cute ghostly daughter.
The super strong thing is because she was brought back in SMT2 as a secret boss.

>>47929354
Not anymore. That'd be like saying Lucifer wearing Alger as a meatsuit is Alger.


>>47929442
You are retarded anon.

>>47929458
But if she's not it's heart breaking.

>>47929474
That's the entire point anon. Annette's daughter is gone, annihilated, no more, devoured by a demon until there's nothing but the barest echoes left. Her daughter is not only dead, Taylor has been DESTRYOED.

>>47929474
Pretty sure this is meant to be heartbreaking. In the sense that Annette's daughter was taken over by a demon which may have killed Annette.

>>47929501
But she remembered her, clearly there has to be something left. It can't be that awful.

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>>47929458
>You are retarded anon.
Because I know my SMT lore?
In SMT1 she's encountered in Roppongi, where Belial and Nebiros killed everyone and put a barrier up to prevent them from leaving Alice. When you meet her, she asks you to play a game and get her something. Then she asks if you'll die for her.
If you say no, you fight Belial and Nebiros, if you say yes she'll be amused and you end up fighting Belial and Nebiros ANYWAYS which causes the barrier to break and the magic that keeps the souls there vanish, including Alice.

She actually shows up as a fight in SMT2, where if you open a chest on the full moon she has a really slim chance of showing up and asking for the item. If you give it to her, she leaves, if you decline she attacks.

>>47929158
>>47929134
>>47929178
With a command in the mystic tongue, you summon the gods and heroes of Ancient Chine from your grimoire, to stand in front of you and the surprised Deputy, who lets out a surprised shout at their arrival. Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the West and goddess of calamity, disease and slaughter. Seiten Taisei, an aspect of the legendary Sun Wukong, the Monkey King who undertook a Journey to the West.

A ruinous goddess and a folk hero. There is balance here in their presence.

In the instant after they appear, you cast a strengthening spell, one that makes your body feel an entire two decades younger than it already is. Your body is sure of itself, and your old legs have regained some semblance of your glorious youth. The magic also hits your demons, and O’Donnell’s friend, who flinches at the sudden contact of magic. He will not have anything to worry about. It is harmless.

>Neeb cast Luster Candy
>The Party has +1 Attack, +1 Defense, +1 to Hit/Evasion

>Xi Wangmu
>MP: 469
>Moveset:
>>Makarakarn [50 MP]
>>Myriad Arrows [30 MP]
>>Invitation [45 MP]
>>Doping [45 MP]
>>Samarecarm [15 MP]
>>Mabufudyne [32 MP]
>>Bufudyne [14 MP]
>>Concentrate [11 MP]

>Seiten Taisei
>MP: 165
>Moveset:
>>Berserker God [12 MP]
>>Taunt [7 MP]
>>Riot Gun [30 MP]
>>Charge [11 MP]
>>Zandyne [14 MP]
>>Mazandyne [32 MP]
>>High Phys Plemora (Add 50% to Phys attack)
>>High Gun Plemora (Add 50% to Gun attack)

Your demons are now ready to attack, awaiting your order and commands for the moment to strike the enemies that stand between you and your allies.

>Please input orders for the following:
>>Xi Wangmu
>>Seiten Taisei

>>47929527
Like I said echoes, barest hints of memories. Her soul, her heart, her body, all demon, there is nothing left of her, just a caricature a best and something to taunt and hurt at worst.

>>47929532
I was saying trying to daughteru her is retarded, which is what you implied.

>>47929532
Christ you are fixated on SMT 1 for some reason and are ignoring every other variation of her character.

Anon this is not SMT 1 or SMT 2. This is Kaz's Task Force 666. He can use whatever interpretation he wants. And it looks to me she is the same childish killer like we see all the time, only this time she is using Taylor's body as a vessel.

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>>47929557
Whoops. Forgot pic.

>>47929557
>>>Doping [45 MP]
>>Mazandyne [32 MP]

>>47929557
>Xi Wangmu
Concentrate. Focus skills are usually the best.
>Seiten Taisei
Berserker God.

>>47929557
>Mabufudyne [32 MP]
>Berserker God [12 MP]

>>47929558
No, I said that she was made to be a cute ghostly daughter. Which you then claimed I was retarded.

>>47929561
>Fixated on SMT1
>Brings up Lore for SMT2.
>Something that concerns the core of the character for most, if not all of the games with her being referenced as Belial and Nebiros' ghost daughter.

If you ignore SMT1, then I'll keep bringing it up.

>>47929557
If our enemies are mostly a mob of Lilim tier enemies then we can smash through them quickly.

>Mabufudyne [32 MP]
>Berserker God [12 MP]

>>47929557
>Concentrate
>Berserker God.
We'll spread a Mabufudyne next turn.

>>47929608
>>47929682
>>47929762
>>47929587

You relay to them their orders as the demon horde advances upon you. They nod in affirmation of your orders and move to engage the demon congregation.
Xi Wangmu is the first to attack, a throaty laugh escaping from her lips as she conjures crystalline ice shards to appear out of the air. They spike up from the ground, penetrating through yielding flesh, freezing those too slow to escape from the frozen embrace of a Mabufudyne spell. Several statues of demons lie frozen on the ground, some still in mid-motion, while others howl in agony at limbs encased deep within ice.

>Used Mabufudyne
>MP: 437

Seiten Taisei is quick to follow up, swinging his staff in a motion as he cackles maniacally. The sheer power of his attack causes several of the statues to shatter just from the blast alone. Demons caught in the center of his strike are violently propelled backwards, splattering against the walls of the cave with a sickening crunch.

>Used Berserker God
>MP: 157

To his credit, the Deputy recovers quickly enough, blasting the surviving demons with thunderous rounds from his shotgun. A trifling gesture, but one that is not ultimately futile. If anything, he helped you clean up the scraps you could not take care of yourself.

>The demon horde is no more.
>There are no obstacles between you and the altar.

>Choose one:
>Fight the Western Devils
>Fight the Jiangshi* Child

>Choose a priority:
>Rescue O’Donnell
>Rescue Miss Turner

*Chinese term for undead

>>47929833
>Fight the Western Devils
>Rescue Miss Turner
>Have Deputy free O'Donnell.

>>47929833
>>Fight the Jiangshi* Child

>>Rescue Miss Turner

If O'Donnell was in good enough condition to try to warn Turner he's lower priority for now

>>47929833
>>Fight the Western Devils
>>Rescue Miss Turner
Annette needs medical attention pretty immediately.
And hopefully, if we beat Red and Black it'll undo shit.
...Or remove Alice's leash and let her free. That'd be fun too.

>>47929833
>Fight the Western Devils
>Rescue Miss Turner

Alice is more likely to fuck around and watch the fight instead of getting involved. I couldn't say the same about the Devils if we attack Alice. Let's kill them one at a time.

>>47929833
>Fight the Western Devils
>Rescue O’Donnell

Taking "mommy" away from her will draw agro hard.

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>>47929886
>>47929926
Too many variables either way to make a sure choice. Just gotta hit one and hope that Alice doesn't decide to come make new friends.

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>>47929860
>>47929862
>>47929865
>>47929886
>>47929926

The Black Devil says something to the child, taking her away and pressing something into its hands. A large pouch of some sort that causes your medallion to vibrate intensely. Magnetite. With a few whispered words, the Jiangshi nods, and runs towards a small area behind the altar. There is a small shrine, composed of interlocking cylinders, inscribed with the mystic script that lies within an alcove. Three intricate parts begin to move as the child slides them-

A terminal. The Western Devils have a terminal. A crude one at that, but a terminal nonetheless. Where there is one of those cursed objects, there are bound to be others, as close as the next cave over, or across the entire world itself.

Or even to the Expanse, the Great Beyond where demons lie.

You shake your head as you bring your demons about. To purchase time for the child to correctly select the location of her desired destination, the Western Devils descend from the dais. Flames run along the arms of the Red Devil, tendrils of fire that lick along its scale and cast macabre shadows on the walls. And in the hand of the Black Devil, Quintessence, the element of the Almighty, gathers in the demon’s hands.

This is not going to be an easy fight.

With a pantomime, you gesture towards the Deputy, making motions towards the unresponsive Miss Turner. He nods, says something in English, and grips the gun in his hands tightly. You will have to make an opening for him to recover the wounded woman.
It is up to you to create that opening.

>Neeb should:
>Buff
>Debuff
>Magic

>Xi Wangmu should use…?
>Seiten Taisei should use…?

>>47930196
>Magic
Hama

>>Concentrate [11 MP]
>>Taunt [7 MP]

>>47930196
>>Magic

>>Concentrate [11 MP]

>>Charge [11 MP]

>>47930196
>Debuff

>Xi Wangmu should use…?
Bufudyne or Concentrate on Belial
>Seiten Taisei should use…?
Zandyne on Nebiros.

If I remember right Nebiros nullifies Phys and Belial is weak to Ice.

>>47930196
>Magic
Bufu on Belial

>Xi Wangmu should use…?
Concentrate then Bufu on Belial
>Seiten Taisei should use…?
Mazandyne.

>>47930239
>>47930254
>>47930256
>>47930354
In your experience fighting demons, those that wield fire tend to have adverse reactions to ice magic. It is not an ironclad rule, but one that tends more often than not to be self-fulfilling in some way, shape or form. Thus, you gather your magic and unleash a frozen hellscape towards the demons.

The Black Devil takes the attack in stride, but the Red Devil filches, recoiling at the sudden ice crystals that stick fast to its body. It is vulnerable, a fact you exploit by ordering Xi Wangmu to do as well. The goddess of calamity laughs as another series of icicles batter and injure the Red Demon, driving it back significantly from its fellow.

>Xi Wangmu used Bufudyne!
>Mp: 423

The Black Devil gives no indication as to what its specialty could be. But any demon with the ability to harness the element of Quintessence is not to be taken lightly. You know more than anyone else how devastating an Almighty attack can wreak on human flesh. Disintegration, even damage to the soul. It is the energy of the gods for a reason.

Seiten Taisei conjures up a storm in his palms, the elements of the winds as sharp as swords. Aiming his staff at the target in question, the vortex slicing through stone, air and the ruined flesh of demons as it heads straight towards the Black Devil. It curses as the winds reach its body, retreating along the same lines to join its companion. Its cloak suffers great gashes as demonic ichor flies from the wounds the winds gouge from the demon’s flesh.

>Seiten Taisei used Zandyne!
>MP: 143

The demons are temporarily stunned...

>Have Vagun grab Miss Turner
>Keep on attacking

>>47930643
>>Have Vagun grab Miss Turner

>>47930643
>Have Vagun grab Miss Turner

>>47930643
>Have Vagun grab Miss Turner

>>47930643
>Have Vagun grab Miss Turner
Maybe toss a Debilitate on them since Neeb didn't get his turn.

>>47930854
He did, he bufu'd fire demon

>>47930928
Shit dunno how I missed that.

>>47930666
>>47930683
>>47930716
>>47930854
“Go!” It is the one word you know in English, and the one you say at the top of your lungs towards Deputy Vagun with the greatest urgency. He doesn’t hesitate, weaving around the ashen corpses and the stunned bodies of the demons in order to sprint to the top of the dais.

For a moment, he doesn’t seem certain as to what he should do, but he is quick to make up his mind. Gingerly scooping up the unresponsive woman, the Deputy runs back down as fast as he can. His speed is only tempered by the desire to keep the terrible wound in the girl’s stomach from bleeding any further. Which is not saying much considering the horrific amount of blood she lost.

But you can worry about that later. There are more pressing matters ahead for you to deal with. The demons are recovering from their momentary state, and they glare at you as they call their elements to their hands. Fire, quintessence, even the powers of darkness.

You smile in spite of yourself, as you turn your eyes towards O’Donnell. They won’t be so quick to let him go now that you’ve rescued Miss Turner. A Devil’s Duel to the Death.

You like the sound of that. It’s been far too long since you’ve been able to unleash your full potential. Thankfully, O’Donnell is out of the blast range, as are Vagun and Turner. No need to worry about holding back.

=========
>>???

Beyond and bellow lay only darkness. This void, this lifeless place can only mean one thing.

You are dying.

Without anything to even clothe you, you drift and sank slowly into this fathomless sea. There was nothing in sight, and even darkness seemed to be absent. This place is only a hollow, a vacuum devoid of existence, where all meaning and comprehension ceased to be.

(cont.)

>>47931097
>Thankfully, O’Donnell is out of the blast range, as are Vagun and Turner. No need to worry about holding back.

Is Neeb still kicking since he's a mage? That would both be kinda cool and scary as fuck.


>inb4 if a Megidolaon bomb fails they send in the Neeb.

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>>47931097
But then you see him. The ferryman. He says one thing.

"Give me some damn play coins and you can go back to life."

>>47931173
Got a feeling he's sort of like Tellah from Final Fantasy 4. He's got an amazing variety of spells and some truly devastating ones. The issue is that he only had so much MP to use himself and if he over exerted himself, he would likely die from it. Luster Candy is an amazing buff, but it's not going to last 24/7 and time would still take it's toll on him I bet.

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>>47931097
There are no exceptions, no variations, no deviants from this inevitability. It is not cruel, but remains far from benevolent. It is blind and uncaring of situation and circumstance. It is the end, the absolute. There is no other finality.

Was this truly death?

The thought was so faint that you even doubt it was even real-

“Oi. Don’t think like that. That’s what the ferryman wants ye to think.”

Ripples in the ocean. A voice disturbs the void, its power tossing your body through the waters like a hapless leaf in the typhoon.

“Listen to me, lass. I hate to break it to ya, but yer dying, and there’s no two ways about it. Right now, yer hangin’ on the edge, just barely clinging onta life.”

From beyond the void, the impression of a face appears, highlighted by emerald green. It is in the visage of a skull, no of a mask atop a skull. Pale green fire burns in the place where eyes should be.

“I’ve been waiting for someone of the blood of the Emerald Isles to reach me in this place. To breach the this void between life and death. I approach you with an offer, to benefit the two of us. Yer business is far from over, and I would hate to see a life cut short.”

The voice pauses as the mask looms closer, and your body shakes as the raw power of the unchained storm, of a god, bears down upon you.

“Work for me, swear yourself to my service, and I’ll restore ye to life.”

======

Gonna archive it in a few minutes.

Follow me on Twitter for session times and other TF666-related stuff: https://twitter.com/TaskForceKaz

Don't forget to vote for the previous threads on suptg: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Devil%20Summoner%20Task%20Force%20666%20Quest

Hope y'all have a good night/morning/day/afternoon wherever you based anons are.

======

I'll have a Q&A in a few hours if the thread is still up and there's some questions. Especially about Alice, it looks like. I'll take care of those when I return.

>>47931276
>The issue is that he only had so much MP to use himself

He has Energy Drain.

>>47931278
Jesus. I guess I'm not used to this whole SMT thing. I was hoping for a happy possible thing.. not.. this. Still I'm in the for the long haul.

Not sure if we can trust this guy, would it be a better alternative to death?

>>47931367
>I was hoping for a happy

Welcome to SMT enjoy your stay

>>47931367
>I was hoping for a happy possible thing..
>SMT

Hah.

>>47931278
Someone is taking SMT4 Final notes.

Thanks for running.

>>47931367
SMT usually isn't big on the happy endings. You do what you can with what you have available and follow whatever ideals you got.

As for Dadga and trusting him. He's a good business partner.

>>47931367
If you want a happy ending in this kind of setting you have to really work for it. Also since this is a past event Annette's fate was probably predetermined.

If you want a good ending focus on Adrian.

>>47931367
>SMT
>happy

Only when hell freezes over, fire rains from heaven and the demons decide to leave humanity the fuck alone.

>>47931367
>SMT
>The series where you will lose friends, family, and even your awesome dog.
>Where you will very likely have to kill your friends with your own hands.
>Where even if you succeed, chances are you are going to be eternally damned by GOD himself and spend the rest of existence fighting him. Also, your efforts will likely be in vain as the cycle continues anyways.

Welcome to SMT. Clench your teeth and be ready for the gut punch.

>>47931485
>be ready for the gut punch.

Literally and figuratively

>>47931278
Question: Is Alice, Taylor? Or is it just a demon with some memories?

>>47931278
>Girl gets a hole in the chest, stands on the precipice of death, and gets revived by a powerful entity that wants something in return.

That must be like a prerequisite for doing great, world changing things.

>>47931980
Well its that or you see a old man in a wheel chair, or some kid puts a bug in you.

>>47932028
A bug?

>>47932028
Final hasn't come out over here yet so I don't really know what Dagda's gift is like.

>>47932055
Magatama

>>47931980
Unlike the Outsider in London, Dagda's deal is probably going to come with some harsher strings attached.

>>47932344
I'm pretty sure he wants god dead.

>>47932376
I think? in Final it's not just the big YHVH but also a bunch of gods he wants dead.

>>47932376
Isn't god the good guy? You know using angels to fight demons?

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>>47932645
Uhhh...

Ok not making fun or anything but how new are you to SMT? Want to see if you have any base before I start explaining.

>>47932645
Thing you got to realize with SMT is that their God is not standard New Testament, but more like a extra ornery Old Testament God. To put his deeds in each game, just the main SMT games, God and Law has nuked the world, flooded the world, fed bits of the world to a giant fucking worm, made a lotus eater style virtual reality machine, outright DESTROYS the old world and all humans on it aside from like a handful of people(and the majority of that handful were dicks), more weird eugenics and building a kingdom ontop of the ruined remains of a country, and if you go law in the final game you get to basically invoke a black hole bomb to kill the heathens.. and yourself.

Chaos has it's problems, but God is not good either.

>>47932703
Not at all. I've archived binged the threads.

>>47932803
Uhh... A giant worm?

>>47932818
Ok so first off the term 'Demons' in SMT is a term for everything supernatural. Angels are demons, Devils are demons, fairies are demons, etc.

Now God in this sense is Yahweh. This isn't the New Testament one you might be used to. This is the Old Testament, the one that will turn you into a pillar of salt if you disobey.

Him and his angels usually compose the Law faction of the games. Their main objective is the complete subjugation of humanity into worshiping them and doing what they say. How drastically they do this varies from game to game. Some angels are honestly nice demons, but usually Yahweh isn't so good. There are merits to having a world ruled by them: Stability, peace for the most part, not having to worry about anything ever again. But is it worth the cost of your free will? Or the lives it will take to make such a world?

>>47932818
Abbadon. Huge demon. He also has Satan as his executioner in the 2nd game. Like I said, this is not a friendly god. Hell, his lines before you fight him are, and I quote; "Not even a thousand deaths would be fitting punishment for thy sins. I shall smite thee, and I shall torture thee over and over. After a Aeon I shall reincarnate thee and thy lives shall be those of endless torment, thy bodies tortured in life and thy souls in death. The same shall come to thy children, and thy children's children , throughout all eternity until the end of time!"

Like I said. OLD testament.

>>47932911
>>47932934
Well, that's lovely. I don't take it Annette has any idea gods a massive prick?

>>47932991
Doubtful given the ad hoc and piecemeal nature of her training.

>>47932991
In general? No one does aside from their rivals who dig deep into the chaos faction. As other anon said, there are good angels and members of law, but going neutral, which is usually the path to the good end forces them to deal with you. Same goes with Chaos. Though, lucifer tends to flop between fighting you and still being a bro.

Really, the Morning Star is just another can of beans with how he goes about things. Hard to predict really, which is fitting considering his role as the head of Chaos.

>>47932991
Most people don't have a clue. Even in the present. I doubt even most of the Vatican knows. Once the apocalypse happens, either initiated by God himself or other means, that's when his motives become more known. In the meantime we'll have angels help us out with TF666 business.

>>47931569
That's the big mystery for you guys to pour over for Annette.
For Adrian, you have Alyssa and the question of whether or not Lucy was in control when you banged her.
For Annette, it's whether or not 'Taylor' is still within Alice.

>>47932818
>Archive Binged the threads
The thing about my quest so far is that we've stayed neutral for the most part, just solving problems that are mainly caused by either humans or low-level demons. We haven't even scratched the surface of the war between Law and Chaos. But don't worry, that's going to come soon.

>>47934065
>Vatican/Angels
The highest-ranking angel that's ever going to aid the Task Force or the Vatican is Virtue, maybe a Dominion if it's tasked with protecting a holy man or woman. The powerful Angels are still up there in heaven.

And the Vatican for the most part cooperates with the Task Force more so in Europe than anywhere else. They have deep ties with the Italian Division, but are on good enough terms with other branches in the West to send agents to collaborate on shared assignments.

Any more questions?

>>47935565
Why would Lucifer want to get banged by Adrian.

>>47935603
Clearly he just wanted to be a red head with huge tits.

>>47935565
>you have Alyssa and the question of whether or not Lucy was in control when you banged her.
>in control

That implies Lucifer is in Alyssa but they switch off.

>>47935565
How are Fitz and Victoria going to react about us fucking Lucifer?
How about MacKay?

>>47935565
Any idea of when you'll run the next thread?

>>47935802
Yes.

>>47935818
Probably in a few days. Next is BRQ, which is probably gonna happen on Saturday. After that, TF666 on Tuesday the 28th since I've got something on Monday the 27th.

>>47935955
Does the Terminal Connect to the Amala Network, or something else? Is it this world's version of the Network/Corridor?

>>47936017
Simply put, yes, to a certain extent.

The terminals in this iteration are used for teleportation across the globe only, while specialized terminals can breath into the Great Beyond and penetrate through dimensions of existence (heaven, hell, etc) as long as it's within the bounds of 'this' reality. No dimension hopping a la 'Sliders'.

But alas, the secret of activating them has been lost to the ages.

>>47936284
So would something like Blasted Tokyo and Infernal Tokyo from SMT be possible to traverse but not anything like completely warping over to the Digital Devil Saga world or something?

>>47936284
Except for the Bermuda Triangle, I assume. I think you've mentioned that that is a true dimensional pathway.

>>47936476
>>47936958
That's spoiler territory. Can't say much about that except for the fact that they'l become plot relevant eventually.